Niner Noise
FanSided

Super Bowl 53: 3 ways the 49ers can benefit from Rams’ loss to Patriots

By Peter Panacy

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams points to the field after a touchdown in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams points to the field after a touchdown in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
SANTA CLARA, CA – SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams speaks with head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers following their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on September 21, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams speaks with head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers following their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on September 21, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Reason No. 1: The Super Bowl Hangover Is Real

Let the cliche go aside for a second. Either repeating as Super Bowl champs, or bouncing back from a tough loss, is extremely difficult. There are three or four more games than the regular 16-game season, and all that wear and tear mounts up, both physically and mentally.

There’s more facing the Rams as well. Case in point, as former KNBR 680 insider Kevin Jones pointed out, why did Sean McVay bench arguably his best weapon, running back Todd Gurley? Jared Goff’s efforts weren’t good at all, either.

What Jones is saying is the Rams’ slew of offseason question marks may easily carry over into 2019, creating problems McVay and Co. won’t be able to answer easily.

So, where do the 49ers fit into all of this?

For starters, the Seattle Seahawks still have to be viewed as division contenders in 2019. The Rams are, too. But their hold on the NFC West certainly doesn’t seem as formidable as it was entering 2018.

We have to assume the 49ers bounce back, of course, and there’s plenty of speculation to believe they will. Additionally, unlike L.A. in 2018, the Niners aren’t being rebuilt in win-now mode. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are playing the long game with roster development, which is why you haven’t seen the lucrative and expensive one- and two-year free-agent deals like the Rams had.

Next. NFL power rankings: Post-Super Bowl LIII breakdown of all 32 teams. dark

Putting it simply, the Rams are in a position where regressing might be a very big reality. The 49ers, meanwhile, appear to be trending upwards.

And L.A.’s loss in Super Bowl LIII only serves to expedite that process.